It’s downright impossible not to watch the last two nights of nationwide protest, rioting, and looting and not feel an overburdened sense of dread. The United States, what President Ronald Reagan once likened to a “shining city on a hill,” is looking more and more like a tiny village at the base of the mountain after a mudslide.
If this strikes as hyperbole to some, turn on the television, scroll through the internet, and scan the stories and pictures of the last few nights of unrest. Major cities have been reduced to utter anarchy as police departments try to use whatever resources they have to deter rioters from doing any further damage to public and private property. The unjustified death of George Floyd has lit a match for a good chunk of the population who are either frustrated with their lives, angry about the criminal justice system, or who otherwise feel disenfranchised. It feels more and more like a grassroots revolt is sweeping the country, where the masses are taking aim at anybody who can be considered part of the establishment — from police and fire departments to banks, journalists, politicians, and even small-business owners.
Philadelphia resembles Baghdad, circa 2003, with law enforcement unable to respond to civil unrest that quickly spiraled out of its control. Parts of the nation’s capital are effectively war zones, where smoke, fire, and broken glass trail a loud, rambunctious group of rabble-rousers who appear to have no other agenda than to destroy whatever they can. Much of the looting is occurring only a few blocks from the White House, which sends a message to the rest of the world about the federal government’s ineptitude.
All of this chaos is coming on top of a massive surge of unemployment, with more than 40 million people out of work over the last 10 weeks, many of whom are trying to hang on with what little they have left. The unemployment rate, currently at 14.7% (surely a conservative figure), is at its highest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began keeping track of the data. Economic experts, including President Trump’s chief economic adviser, are predicting 20% unemployment by this month.
Add a deadly virus that continues to claim hundreds of lives a day and a generally impatient public that wants to get on with life, and it’s not a stretch to call the current moment an inflection point. As Dan Balz of the Washington Post captured so poetically: “America has never experienced all of this kind of tumult in the same moment. It is more than the system can bear, and people grieve for the country.”
If there was any time when the political establishment needed to focus all of its resources and energy on the homefront, it is now. The issues and grievances swirling are too much to ignore or sweep aside. They won’t magically burn out like a small brush fire. Even if they do, another incident will inevitably spark an even larger fire.
The world, of course, will keep humming along. Although the U.S. is a superpower, it can’t control every event in every corner of the globe — nor should it. Russia will continue intercepting U.S. and NATO aircraft in international airspace while seeking to hack computer servers and email accounts. China will proceed with its national security law in Hong Kong, bringing the “one country, two systems” framework to an early death. The North Koreans will continue improving their missile inventory as they have for decades. Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuela will remain an economic and social basket case. Iran will remain Iran, no matter how many economic sanctions the Trump administration slaps on the Iranian economy. Much of this activity is beyond Washington’s ability to change.
The U.S., however, will only be as strong and resilient internationally as it is domestically. Let’s face it: Right now, the domestic situation doesn’t look especially promising.
The last four months have shown us where our top priorities lie. It’s not in the urban sprawl of Kabul or the desolate fields of northeastern Syria.
Daniel DePetris (@DanDePetris) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. His opinions are his own.
